New STEEL 26" fully rigid...Surly Troll and ?

Thinking about a new 26" fully rigid mtb. I prefer steel frames. About the only thing I can find is the Troll from Surly. Anything out there I'm missing? Currently my rides are a 1993 Bridgestone MB3 and a 2010 Salsa Fargo.

I like the Troll an awful lot on paper, because it seems to be a 26" wheel Fargo pretty much. Plus, I like that its set up to run geared or single. Versatility is cool. But the fact that they don't sell it as a complete is kind of a bummer.

What is it that you want in a new bike that you don't already have in your Bridgestone? The problems with a lot of the newer steel frames is they are designed for suspension, and many of them are on the heavy side. So to go rigid, you end up with a heavy rigid bike with a fugly suspension corrected rigid fork. I would much rather ride an early to mid 90s steel rigid (like your MB3).

Warning: may contain sarcasm and/or crap made up in an attempt to feel important.

I guess there's nothing wrong with the Bridgestone, probably just me wanting a more up to date mtb. Last year I put a bunch of money into making it more like a Rivendell type bike (albatross bars with cork grips and bar end shifters, Brooks saddle, platform pedals, etc..) and after being off of bikes for at least 10 years it was a good change. It got me riding again. Anyhow, it seems like after owning that thing for 18 years its gotten to be too small. I've got to get the saddle up so high that I can't get the handlebars high enough that I don't suffer from back and wrist pain. So I bought the Fargo. Which I love. I was going to put the stock mtb tires back on the fargo and take it trail riding but a friend told me I should leave the big apples on it and keep it for pavement and get a new mtb.

If I was confident I could be comfortable on the Bridgestone I would put a little money into tires, brakes and maybe a more appropriate handlebar and ride it, but I've spent a lot on it and i really don't want to spend any more.

How about the Salsa ala carte, also frame only. Or the Redline monocog. I was looking at the Troll, but hard to justify $$ for the whole build. And I didn't know what I wanted to do with it, I just wanted to try a rigid steel bike. So in January I bought a 26er monocog, What fun, I feel like a kid on that bike, so simple, no thought just ride, I love it. The whole bike's about the same price as the troll frame. I doubt I'll ever get a troll now, maybe a pugsly.

Redline makes some of the best steel ht frames. And the shipping is about $150 (at least it was for me) to Michigan. Almost not even worth it to order from the UK you get nailed with shipping and then charged by the US postal. I've also heard of a lot of people hassling with the US postal because they are shipping from foreign countries... I didn't have that problem.

The only reason I have a Ragley is because it was on CRC and the shipping was free.